Canada Waterfalls - Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec

Canada Waterfalls were something that Julie and I took for granted as we had sought out to explore waterfalls in more far-flung destinations around the world while we were most able. In a way, this decision left a gaping hole in our survey of waterfalls around the world, which was ironic considering that Canada was merely our next door neighbor.

As a result, there wasn't a lot about the country we really knew about except for indirect influences from the media (e.g. a lot of those HGTV shows, Survivorman, NHL, pro wrestlers [like Brett Hart, Chris Jericho, etc.], and musicians [like Alanis Morissette, Tegan & Sara, etc.]). And we admit that seeing the Canadian side of Niagara Falls was not enough of a sampling to really say we've begun to experience Canada.

So Julie and I longed to explore the country intimately through waterfalling. And the desire to do so was strong thanks to its massive size and large tracts of land dominated by Nature. But it wasn't until nearly a decade into our waterfalling addiction did that finally start to occur in earnest.

Thus far, in addition to Niagara Falls, we've started our Canadian waterfalling in earnest in the Canadian Rockies region (such as Banff, Jasper, Yoho, and even Clearwater in British Columbia). In addition to crazy beautiful lakes, glaciers, and mountains, the waterfalls made the perfect excuse to explore the "Crown of the Continent" in depth and really start to experience what it's like in Canada.

You add to those some of the most beautiful lakes we've ever seen (such as Peyto Lake, Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Emerald Lake, and Lake Maligne) as well as the glacially scoured valleys along with the glaciers responsible for them (e.g. Athabasca Glacier, Crowfoot Glacier, etc.), and it's no wonder why the Canadian Rockies drew millions of visitors each year (something we could definitely attest to given how busy it was here).

Then, we went waterfalling in the southern ends of both Quebec and Ontario. In addition to the French influence in Quebec, which was not only manifested in the language and some of the culinary experiences, but it was also manifested in the gorgeous European architecture which was totally on display in Quebec City and Montreal. Meanwhile, in Ontario, we managed to experience the mix of industrial heritage around the Niagara Escarpment facing the western shores of Lake Ontario. This included Hamilton - the City of Waterfalls - once regarded as the City of Steel as well as the largest Canadian city of Toronto. Not to be outdone, in Ontario's far eastern extreme, we managed to see a pair of urban waterfalls within the city limits of the capital city of Ottawa.

OUR FAVORITES

Some of the waterfalls in this region were considered amongst our favorites and thus have made one or more of our top 10 lists. To see which of these lists have featured waterfalls from this region, see below!

WATERFALL SUBREGIONS

Below are the waterfall subregions that we've been to. Click on a subregion for more details about the area and its waterfalls.

Alberta: This province is home to both Jasper and Banff, and when you mix glaciers with Canadian Rockies, you're sure to get gushing waterfalls and turquoise lakes. Even though the province is dominated by prairies east of the Rockies, you can bet that most of the province's waterfalls are concentrated in the western spine of the state. And as you can see within these web pages, that is most certainly the case...

British Columbia: We think of this mountainous province as Canada's take on the Pacific Northwest. For this province is probably one of the country's most scenically and culturally diverse spots, and our waterfalling experiences here merely scratches the tip of the iceberg so-to-speak. For there are 250m monsters as well as others nestled in quieter and more naturesque settings...

Ontario: We've only seen a small fraction of this province amongst the Great Lakes region near Hamilton as well as its far eastern extreme by the capital city of Ottawa. But even in this limited sampling, it could very well be the country's most densest collection of waterfalls. In addition to the region's industrial heritage, the favorable geology that gave rise to Niagara Falls also yielded a waterfall bonanza around Hamilton, and there's sure to be much more to see and done throughout the rest of this vast province...

Quebec: In this French-speaking province, it truly felt like we were in another country within Canada. Indeed, it felt like we were in the closest thing to Europe as you could get in North America. But amongst all its European charm, there were many surprising waterfalls within reach, some of which were amongst the largest waterfalls in the country not named Niagara Falls. It was that blend of historical and European charm with the awesomeness of Nature that we remembered most about this province, but realize that our visit here only yielded a very small cross-section of its southernmost extremes. Just imagine how many more surprises could come out of exploring more of this vast province!

Reader Submissions: We can't possibly visit every single waterfall in Canada. Fortunately, there are readers kind enough to share their knowledge and experiences by writing up their own guides for those waterfalls that we haven't been to.

MORE INFO

Are you researching for an upcoming trip to this region? We've got additional information concerning non-waterfall attractions, our own travel stories, reviews of books and maps, or even writeups concerning the logistics of what it takes to come here and what to expect! Check out the following links...

Canada's Other Attractions: There's more to the this continent than waterfalls. If you're curious about the other natural or historical attractions or you're suffering from fatigue of Canada Waterfalls, have a look! [read more]

Canada Travel Stories: Read about the stories behind the World of Waterfalls. See Canada through our eyes while becoming more informed about this beautiful continent. In this section, you will find travel journals that will leave you laughing, smiling, curious, or just about all the emotions you'd expect when you're traveling to an unknown place. [read more]